Cruz Ramirez Tutu Skirt and Tee

As Disney/Pixar’s movie Cars 3 raced through theaters across the nation this summer, iBroidery.com
has a dozen roaring designs waiting for you.  With so many macho characters, Cruz Ramirez is truly the rising star of gender equality in the racing world! Fabric tutu skirts are all the rage with younger girls.  I’ve heard of birthday parties at which each guest makes her own hula-type tutu.   One kindergarten class made these for an end of the year project.  While those quick, easy, and fun skirts are simply strips of fabric knotted over a circle of elastic, Cruz’ skirt is version 2, with less bulk at the waist.  It also features her personal embroidered crest (IBCA09)
at center front and includes a casing waistband. The skirt is paired with a simple white tee with the equivalent of Cruz’ business card. Wouldn’t it be fun to make a Cruz tutu for a little Cars 3 enthusiast to wear to the movie?

Description:

• Size 5 Cruz Ramirez Tutu Skirt

Equipment: 

• Brother’s THE Dream Machine
  or a Brother Disney machine that has a 5x7 frame
  , zig zag rotary cutter or pinking shears

Fabric:

• 40+ strips 3” x 23” cut, 1 black fabric strip 5” x 23” for Cruz embroidery all cut with zig-zag rotary blade or pinking shears, 66” x 5” strip for waist band

Designs: 

• iBroidery.com designs IBCA09 (Cruz Ramirez)
  & IBCA11 (Top Trainer Cruz Ramirez)
  

Notions:

• • 2 yds. elastic 1” wide, 2 yd. ¾” grosgrain ribbon any color, large black bow, 3 yellow curly grosgrain ribbons, threads for embroidery and construction

Let's get started!

1. Trim the top of one folded 23” black strip to 3” at the top, then widen to 4 ½”, six inches before end of strip. It will be shaped like a man’s tie.
2. Center and embroider Cruz Ramirez design above bottom of strip.

3. Zig zag rotary cut 40 or more fabric strips 3” x 23”. A variety of yellow, black, and gray/silver fabrics were chosen, with occasional touches of orange.  Some tulle and even netting was included. Cut strip ends on diagonal.

4. Cut tulle strips in half to approximately 3” x 11 ½”.
5. Stack 2 folded contrasting fabric strips.
6. Trim 1” from fold down 1 ½”.  This reduces the bulk when the strips are joined at the waistline.

7. Create chain of stacked strips. Begin with single Cruz embroidered piece. This will be the center front of the skirt.  Add strips to this, stitching 1 1/8” from fold, creating a chain of strips. This creates a casing, ultimately for 1” elastic.

8. Stitch tulle or netting strips periodically at seam line. Trim tulle close to stitching.

9. Thread ribbon through casing using a large safety pin. Stringing the strips onto grosgrain makes it easier to manage them as you add tulle to the stacked pair and if you choose to rearrange the paired strips. Remember that the last stacked pair will be joined to the free side of the Cruz embroidered strip.

10. Pin ribbon end through first strip (Cruz embroidery) to prevent the strips falling off the string as you work with it. Push strips as closely together as possible.

11. Loosen the strips so the waistband can be applied to flat fabric.
12. Leave a few inches of waistband free. Then seam right side of 66” x 5” waist band to wrong side of strips. That would be the side with no tulle. Stitch on or near existing seam line on each strip.

13. There should be several inches of waistband left unattached at either end.
14. Trim yellow waistband seam allowance to approximately ½”.

15. Mark elastic 1” less than the standard waist measurement. Do not cut yet.  Assuming a standard size 5 waist measurement of 20.5”, this elastic was marked at 19.5”.
16. Insert marked but uncut elastic through casing.

17. Fold waist band to front, fold under excess and top stitch. The skirt is still one long string of strips.
18. Draw up elastic so that raw edge meets marked line. Stitch together and cut away excess.
19. Overlap excess waistband and cut away excess from the short end, leaving enough to fold ends under at center front above Cruz embroidered strip.
20. Top stitch this area as before. Then stitch across folded ends so no raw edges are exposed.
21. Join curly ribbons to black bow.
22. Stitch bow on waistband just above Cruz embroidery strip.

23. Match this tutu skirt with a white embroidered tee.

24. Finished! Now go see Cars 3!